Like Mother, Like Daughter
Monday, April 6, 2009 at 4:30 PM 
Image used with kind permission from Essence
Mother’s Day came early to Essence magazine, and we couldn’t be more excited. Their May issue features a beautiful, warm photograph of Mrs. O and her mother, Marian Robinson, on the cover. Inside, their first joint interview is a delight, with lots of new tidbits—including the fact that the First Lady has yet to redecorate her office. Mother and daughter share insights into how they handled the transitional move, their beliefs about raising confident kids, and their love of strong marriages.
The fashion choices for the magazine’s photographs are as refreshing as springtime itself. Mrs. O indulges her love of floral prints again, this time wearing a silk rose print dress from Talbots. The print is a watercolor style, featuring large lagoon blue and turquoise roses plus green leaves, both detailed in black. Over the dress (which the Talbots web site tells us is a sleeveless fitted bodice design with a pleated skirt), Mrs. O is wearing a tissue cotton Kelly green sweater edged in blue by Hanii Y. Belted over the sweater is a wide silver-studded belt by Sacai.
Mrs. Robinson wears a Dear cashmere sweater, her own layered loden green and white tops and khaki pants, and a vintage three-strand pearl necklace mixed with a necklace by Martin Margiela. The Margiela piece consists of large white beads partly interwoven with a dark chain. By layering the pearls and the Margiela necklaces together, Mrs. R brings a contemporary bit of sass to a traditional pearl piece. The reach and mix of fashion here is fascinating.
Talbots is a traditional brand, started in Massachusetts in 1947, and long known for the preppy approach to style, including sheath dresses and twin sets. There are Talbots stores across the country, plus shoppers can buy from them via catalogues or online. Hanii Y is half of the design team of Y & Kei; she draws on her Korean heritage to bring a streamlined cut and bold colors to her work.
And Sacai is a Japanese design house based in the Marais section of Paris. Having established its own niche market over the past 10 years, Sacai feels no need for runway shows or fancy press presentations. It is a fashion insider’s designer, as is Margiela, a Belgium designer so mysterious that he has never had his photo taken.
How did such diverse designers, of varying availability, come together here? The answer is, once again, the master of the mix: Chicagoan Ikram Goldman. She carries Hanii Y, Sacai, and Martin Margiela at her cinnabar lacquered boutique. By combining traditional American clothes with edgy fashion insider accessories, the message truly says, We are one. It’s a sentiment that both Mrs. O and her mother express in the interview. When asked if she had a Mother’s Day message to pass on to readers, Mrs. Robinson said, “Things are going well for me. For other mothers, I hope they can enjoy their Mother’s Day as peacefully and as happily as I will.” What a great way to lead into spring. 
Image used with kind permission from Essence
Dear Cashmere, Hanii Y, Maison Martin Margiela, Sacai, Talbots in Designers, Jewelry, Misc, Outfits
Reader Comments (162)
This is going to come out sounding worse than I mean it to, but, I don't think that among the American public, "snubs" to Trinidad are at the top of the priority list. This is not going to be on Wolf Blitzer's radar screen. And Trinidadians will get over it. So I think Mrs. O will come through this reputation intact.
( Which doesn't mean that anyone should be "snubbed," but all I'm getting from you is that people wanted her to come and made lots of plans hoping that she would be there -- NOT that she promised to come and then backed out, which I think would be cause for more concern.)
She's not a trained animal who has to perform on command, you know? And she's also not the elected official. I mean, damn, shouldn't it count for something that BARACK OBAMA, the actual president, is going to be there? *He's* the one who is the leader of the free world. Getting the actual president, and then whining about Michelle staying home seems to be a demonstration of wacky priorities.
davesoko1, you still did not answer the question! Did FLOTUS comfirmed that She'll be accompanying her husband to Trinidad? Because if not, then people are just assuming and you can't hold her accountable for something she didn't commit to...
But if your answer is yes, then I can understand your frustration and perhaps there is a good reason why she can't attend. Anyhow I haven't read anywhere that FLOTUS is going to Trinidad
@ Mimi,
I do a lot of reading and I also haven't read that FLOTUS is committed to going to Trinidad. The next things coming up for her is the Easter Egg Roll, finishing her tour of govt. agencies, and her two commencement speeches in CA and a DC high school.
@ Leah D
You are so right...those events were planned for all the spouses that go to that summit. That's how all the summits are handled, so that the spouses have activities. People are just trying to start a controversy where there isn't one to once again, control Michelle. And as someone else said, she's not an animal to be trained.
@Tess.....I too use to think that Talbots was for the 50+ crowd, but they really have changed. Their dresses and blouses have a lot of youth now and flowery prints for the spring. Also if you need classic pieces that will hold you for years, they're the ones to buy from. Then you can just change up accessories and tops and bottoms with other trendy pieces each season and save a ton of money. The way I mix and match, people think I own a lot of clothes and that I shop at Neimans or Barneys. 75% of what I own are lower-priced classic pieces mixed with just a little moderate to high-end each season.
She already said that her first priority is her kids, I understand why she left early. She will get many more opportunities to go overseas with her husband. She's only been the first lady for few months, another 3 1/2 years to go, hopefully another 7 1/2 years.
"The cover is just beautiful. It’s funny that the “less prestigious” magazines that have put Mrs. O on the cover all have more beautiful and dynamic pictures of her than the Vogue cover, which I thought was pretty boring."
Isn't that the truth? The Vogue cover was pretty, but I don't know...it didn't have a lot of pizzazz. I liked some of the inside shots much better.
Also everyone, for the 20 to 30+ crowd, Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft is great--colorful, youthful, classic as well as trendy in very reasonable prices and great sales. They have a great website for the woman who has no time to travel to their stores--they closed down a lot from the recession but the website is there and has fantastic selections.
To Mimi-no Mrs. O never confirmed. PM Manning assumed she was because Mr. O thanked him for inviting Mrs. O as well that she was coming and so far she has not sent her regrets. And so the planning continues with those doing it assuming she's coming because she has not formally turned it down. Again, the people in Trinidad were so proud to host the First African American presidential couple they ran with it. The pure symbolism of them hosting the first AA First Lady of the US is very exciting to them. I'm sure they'll get over it as well. It's not that big of a deal and I've gotten over my disappointment as well. The only reason I commented on it was because I read where some Muslim women were disappointed she didn't continue on to Turkey. I was saying this will be bigger.
The President is the important one going as everyone says. Leave it at that.
I've been shopping at Talbots for 25 years - I'm 49. I used to have to either do a mail order or visit the East Coast to buy things. There was a huge expansion across the country in the 1980s with stores, and of course the Internet made it just SO easy to point and click. They were - probably still are - having financial setbacks, which is probably why some stores were closed. A coworker showed me an email making the rounds last fall which said Talbots was shutting down IMMEDIATELY - we had had just enough wine to make us quite Verklempt about it. They appear to be going in more of a fashion-forward direction, and if you've looked at their catalogs then you'll see the fabulous Dayle Haddon (who has GOT to be close to 60) is a model for them. They still have their more casual basics, which are more my style, though I also use Orvis and LLBean for those.
As for Mrs. O not going to Turkey etc, perhaps they have a limit as to how many days she will be gone. Perhaps the WH decided where it was strategically more important for her to go this trip, and Europe won out. If she is "supposed" to go to all of these places with her husband, then make it part of the deal and pay her. Cindy McCain doesn't have young children at home. There will always be criticism; Mrs O is confident enough to make her choices and live with them.
I invite everyone to find the video of our FL in London. During the photo op, where she sat talking with Mrs. Brown, the FL told Mrs. Brown that she would be "peeling" away from the final leg of the trip because "the dog is coming". So, Mrs. O left to go be a mom - I think that should be good enough for us. I can understand her not wanting to be away from the kids for 8 days. Good for her!
Thanks to those who provided the links....!!
The physical resemblance of Mrs. O to her mom really stands out in that pic!! It hadn't popped out to me that much before. Mrs. O seems to be more of that real "parental blend", taking on after both her parents.
BTW Mrs. Robinson looks VAVAVOOM on that cover!!! Really smooth and stylish!
@ Yola,
Thanks for that tidbit of info. I totally forgot about the dog--esp. since POTUS said it would be in place when he got back. Thanks for the reminder. Plus, those girls have so many activities for school, and I remember on the campaign trail for 2 years even with her mother's help, Mrs. O refused to miss a parent/teacher conference, recital, sporting event or anything else the girls were involved in. She's a great mother and still doesn't relinquish all her duties to her mother even though she's there to assist.
Love the cover. I agree with the ladies who mentioned Ann Taylor and the Loft. They have some very nice suits as well, and classic pieces that can be mixed and matched easily. Talbots is one I've never tried, but I will now. I have noticed that many of their stores have been closing...I do think they expanded a bit much so this is probably a good thing in the long run.
And I hate the discussion about Mrs. O not going to Trinidad. Incredibly presumptuous on so many levels.
Anyway, does anyone know when the magazine will be on the stands? I'm going to get 2 - 1 for my mom and 1 for my grandmom. Oh...and 1 for me too - so that'll be 3!
I agree with Sarah and Yola.
Mrs.O has two young daughters!!!!!
If BOTH of my parents went away to Europe for a week when I was 10 I would've missed them so much. Michelle goes on trips mostly locally, because she doesn't want to spend time away from her kids! I don't understand how some people don't get that. If she doesn't go to Turkey or T&T or wherever, it's likely because it's not necessary for her to attend and she would like to be with her kids, like most moms would.
I can't wait for this issue to come out.
Talbots is just not a store I can get with, I'm 24 and I went in there to look for something for my mother who is 59, that store is more her speed
@ Dee,
I know what you mean about the stores..I went in them and didn't like the inventory. But go to the Talbots website inventory, it's very youthful for the dresses and has an expanded inventory for the spring. For the 20+, go to Ann Taylor Loft, they're great.
As much as I hate to interject a non-style comment, I really wish we would stop implying that Mrs. O should be "paid" for official first lady functions that have been part of our country's tradition for ages. First, she does not "need" the money, as the Obamas are more than financially comfortable; secondly,I am pretty sure she is more than happy to support her husband and doing a public service as she gets to represent her country at those fabulous places, visit those amazing landmarks and meeting great people without having to pay a ton of money for trip expenses, plus it would make her look crass (and that is the last thing we want to hand those who don't like her extra ammunitions to bash her.) So let us enjoy the beautiful clothes and stuff andf not complain about the other stuff. Also, she may not have gone to Turkey because it is a dangerous place, and asmany rightfully pointed out, she is a mother of young children and there is no point in exposing both parents to unnessary danger. I can;t wait to see the first dog!
There's a luxe chino belted sheath dress on the Talbots website that I could do so much with this spring for just $149....oooohh, I can't leave the website. Michelle has gone and done it, making me part with my money just after POTUS has added the stimulus money to my paycheck. LOL..they really have nice stuff ya'll.
I think Michelle Obama should get a salary or at least a clothing allowance from the government.
The work of a woman has always been considered less important than that of a man. There was a time in America if a woman divorced a man she got zero money - property was considered to belong to the husband. We have come a long way in the USA but still not far enough. We the People should not expect Michelle to do everything for free. Michelle is expected to be the official hostess for the president's functions and to be a spokeswoman for good causes. Michelle has a staff in the East Wing of the White House and they get paid - Michelle is the only one getting the short end of the stick.
Lilly,
At one time in American history only men were allowed to vote, slavery was legal, and women had to cover their legs and ankles - those were 'traditions' too, but we changed all of that!
This site has the cover picture from Essence as well as another shot from inside the magazine.
http://blogs.glam.com/glamchic/2009/04/06/michelleo/
Loving Michelle and her beautiful Mom.
I agree with Leah D. Michelle does a heck of a lot of work, and is not paid a dime for it. I'm sure we wouldn't want our own salaries to be determined by our personal financial worth.
This sounds remarkable like the crap I used to get back in the 50s and 60s, where women weren't hired for traditionally male jobs or, if they were, were paid less "because they didn't need to work" or "because they weren't supporting a family." Or worse, they "were taking a job away from a man." That one was also used to deny women admission to college courses in engineering, etc.
Okay, back to fashion and style blogging! Leah D: thanks so much for the link to the pic of Mrs. O. and Mrs. R. Mrs. O's cardigan is fabulous! I would love to own one. The belt is much too heavy and clunky for the dress and the cardigan. It doesn't look silver, it looks black. I am wondering why she didn't use the belt that came with the dress to cinch the cardigan? The blue patent belt that Mrs. O. has worn in the past would also have looked much better.
Part of the problem w/ paying the first spouse is that there is no job description. I absolutely agree that Michelle has already done a lot of great stuff, and I expect that we'll see her do a lot more. But she pretty much chooses what she wants to do. She decided to plant a garden, to visit a homeless shelter, and to invite high school girls to the White House. If she had only done half of what she's done, no one would think less of her. I don't think we want to get into defining what a first lady should do. It's a unique situation that has to be defined by the person and what the times demand. Consider, for instance, her interest in military families. They've always been there, but it's the repeated foreign deployments of the past few years that have made the stress on them so severe and apparent. How could we write a job description that would be both appropriate and flexible enough to make sense across time.
Michelle agreed to campaign w/ Barack for this office, and she worked hard in that campaign for two years. Now, she has very comfortable free housing, free travel, free entertainment, and a highly qualified, well-paid staff. Yes, she is working hard, and she is making some personal sacrifices. But there are millions of people who would trade places w/ her in a second.
Hello everyone, I am just so amazed, thrilled and overjoyed to find a web site devoted to Mrs.O and her magnificent styling, how exciting to have such an international first lady at the white house coming out on the world scene to join other first ladies in unity to achieve peace in this world. We must never overlook that the President is asking for a world free of nuclear weopeons and the first lady, with all her styling, is his partner.Above all else they are emmissaries of peace. LONG LIVE THE OBAMAS
@ Christen
I don't think that the belt that Mrs. O is wearing on the Essence cover translates well in the cover pose with her mother. However, I love it. It actually is blue with silver studs on it. I love the chunkiness of it and the contrasts of it. It makes a relatively simple outfit become very sophisticated. If you go on the Talbots website the full dress that Mrs. O has underneath is anything by simple. The pattern is very floral and complex.
What I'm suspecting is that if she were standing, you could see the full effect. I'm very interested to get my issue of Essence so that perhaps inside there will be other photos of her in various poses. Not everyone may like this belt, but I love her being daring and bold with her accessory choices--this sets her apart. In politics, women are expected to be so monolithic and conservative. Mrs. O takes the conservatism up a notch with boldness and daring colors...also mixing and matching. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't but she really gives me some very good ideas to work with my basic pieces.
I truly love the whole ensemble..especially the belt. The only thing is belt placement. Sometimes her belts aren't always placed where I would place it and to me can be distracting in photos. But her general choice of a belt is usually spot on. Gorgeous cover though...it reminds me of sherbert. It also reminds me of the Oprah cover with the splashes of color...like fruit.
Ok I swear the price of that dress was $169 yesterday. Did they just drop the price today to $126.75????
If so, its mine!!!
@ Donna No Shock
They did lower the price! They changed their whole website to highlight Mrs. O's dress on the main page, as well as others in that color scheme. Talbots is no dummy..I was on the site late last night and the price was $169 just a few hours ago. Talbots' web team was probably up all night making changes. I don't blame them in this economy. Talbots has changed their styles for the better to make them more modern and youthful.
What a steal it is now! You better get it while your can.
@Leah D,
My fear is if MO gets a clothing allowance there will be a new uproar with every purchase she makes. Just as there was the coining of the "Silent Majority", we now hear daily from a "vocal minority". MO would be held accountable for everything she chooses.
Janelle,
Done! I got my dress...I got my dress.. My mom (God Rest Her Soul) loved Talbots clothes and when she tired of them I would go borrowed (permanently) them from her closet.
more pics are up on essence
http://photos.essence.com/galleries/may_essence_issue_first_lady_michelle_obama__mom
AS DIVA IS DIVA DOES - Here's to you Mrs. Robinson! You are rocking it at 71! I love the shot of Michelle and here mom sitting together, with the hair swept in front of Mrs. Robinson's face while she gives a girly smile to the camera. Now how divine is that!
davesoko1 - I'm a Trinidadian! And yes even though I was planning to stand in the burning hot sun for hours to get a glimpse of Mrs.O, I too will be disappointed if she doesn't come for the Summit - but so what! We over here are not so "small minded" as to think that she is shunning us! Just for the record Trinidad isn't ONLY made up of as you say "dark skinned" people. We are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic society, which means that we have ALL the COLORS of the rainbow here.
So let's put this conversation to rest ok pumpkin!
Love thier normal looking clothes! So neat to see Mrs. Robinson fixed up for the photo shoot-mother and daughter look so much alike and they have the same arms-very warm and fuzzy. Only think I don't like is the bangs thing on Mrs. Robinson. You can just tell there is a whole lot of love there.
Gorgeous...and so happy for Talbots. I love them and they could certainly use a "Michelle" boost. I believe there is a skirt in this same print and I have been looking at it with a blue sweater....will order today!
The ESSENCE cover is beautiful. Good use of colors, nice smiles. Lightyears better than the last ESSENCE cover of Michelle a few months ago.
I'm with the person above who said that Mrs. Obama should go to Trinidad. It will not kill her to spend a day there, especially since Caribbean folks are big fans of hers. It is unclear whether she's going or not, so I hope she does go. Whether justified or not, the person who who said it will be seen as a snub - especially after she skipped Turkey after visiting the white European countries - is correct in that assessment.
She is not only Mom-In-Chief, but also a de facto U.S. ambassador. Her presence can help building goodwill toward the U.S..
Did anyone see Mrs. Robinson on 60 Minutes a couple weeks ago? Her hairdo was the same. I think it's a wig, actually, and in that interview, it looked like it was perched on her head sideways. I think she could use a little help w/ her coiffure.
Mara,
I'm sure there will be some who are disappointed regarding the Trinidad trip, but Mrs. O has a lot of time to make her visits and she will.. but I think it's good that she paces these trips out so that people don't think that everytime her husband steps off the plane, she'll be there with him and having her wardrobe analyzed for all of these back to back trips she's taking. Laura Bush did not always travel with her husband. She went to Africa with him but didn't go to other European trips. When POTUS was senator, Mrs. O took a historic trip with much fanfare to Africa with her husband and did a lot of humanitarian work with him. Of course, no one analyzed what she was wearing, but they were treated like heads of state and there were tons of crowds.
Also, I did read recently where she said that she looks forward to a lot more travel during the summers over the next few years so she can take the girls with her. If some folks are disappointed, she'll make up for it later b/c she loves the Caribbean...who wouldn't!
"I’m with the person above who said that Mrs. Obama should go to Trinidad. It will not kill her to spend a day there, especially since Caribbean folks are big fans of hers."
We honestly have no idea what's going on in her life or what other commitments she may have. So you can't just blithely say this.
I just read through the thread here and noticed a rebuttal to a comment by "Honest Citizen" but "Honest Citizen's" original commnet had been removed. If a post is going to be removed then all the posts associated with that post ought to be removed. No point in making it one sided.
I'm so over that belt. Or, at least, the way she wears it just under her boobs. A wide belt belongs at the waist. Actually, unless it's an empire-style garment or you're pregnant, ANY belt belongs at the waist
Michelle looks lovely in this dress and sweater, though the belt really doesn't go well with this outfit.
The love and respect that Michelle and her Mom have for each other is obvious in this cover picture.
Oh, how this picture makes me miss my own dear Mom, who has been in Heaven for 3 years now. Mother's Day is stil difficult for me.
Bevi,
First Ladies don't get clothing allowances. They all buy their own clothes. Laura Bush was paying 15,000 dollars a pop for her formal Oscar de la Renta gowns. Hillary as well, and Bill and Hill were not rich. The fashion community made Hillary feel so bad about her lack of fashion sense that she was basically pressures, after a few years in the White House, to start buying exclusively from Oscar. They're mad that Michelle, unlike Hillary, has style and doesn't need them to dress her.
Here's a good article that's about that very thing:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/fashion/07iht-ffirst.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
Funny, I was going through the new Talbots catalog last week (the one with the big flower on the cover) and it looked like they'd really jumped on the Michelle bandwagon, with lots of pieces that seemed like almost copies of some of her favorites--they've always had lots of cardigans, but they were showing pearls with pins on them a la Michelle, and a necklace of flowers made from little stones, like that Seattle designer Mrs. O has worn pieces by. It's nice to see the love is going both ways!
@ Hyde Parker
I've read more than a few times on here that people think Mrs. O has a high waist. If that's true, then she is wearing the belt at her waist and it just sits higher than you're used to. I know this is the case for me anyway. Anywho, Clinton and Stacy on "what not to wear" always say to bring the attention to the narrowest part of you, so that's pretty much what she's doing. I like the look!
Massachusetts (two Ts)
Nice pictures - but Oh, the belt again! I know there will be plenty of comments of how pretty this look is. But really, a belt over a sweater and just under the breasts, detracts soooo much from the overall look. And wearing a belt on the narrowest part of you does not look right for some of us! Just look at other pictures of Michelle "sans the belt" and compare looks. The difference is dramatic. With these belts you can even see a bit of belly - which I think she really does not have. Lower the belt, elongate the torso - or no belt.
I'm over the belts.
I didn't like them in the 80's and I don't like them now, just a personal preference for a clean line.
(and I have loved pretty much everything Mrs. O has worn, except those blue boots with the fur sticking out, and i love her flats and cardis...just not the belt thing. I even liked the big bow shirt, except for the belt.)
MJMR:
I agree with you.
My last comment on the belting of Mrs. Obama. She should ditch all belts. She can not lower the belts as they fit on her natural waistline which is short (and would probably be uncomfortable for her). The belts truncate her torso.
She enjoys belts. Unfortunately, they do not do justice to her body type and should be retired from her wardrobe.
I love the belts. I was in Paris last year, and it was very much in style. And when wearing the big belts, the woman at the boutique I was shopping in told me to wear it higher than right at my waist since most people's behinds won't allow the belt to lie flat in the back.
That belt is all wrong; it especially photographs as an intrusion.